Halo nabs the #50 spot on 1UP's list of The Essential 50, a list of the most important games ever made. Thanks Joystiq.

Major Nelson today pointed out the blog of Halley "gamermom" Suitt of Boston, who says she has started a blog to "write about videogames and how my son and I deal with them." Her son's game of choice at the moment is, of course, Halo 2.

[image:9042 left hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0]Alex "The Man" Seropian, founder of Wideload Games, did a Q&A recently on their upcoming game, Stubbs the Zombie in 'Rebel Without a Pulse'. Click "read more" below for the full interview, and also check out three new screenshots in the Stubbs gallery.

Q. What’s the plot of the game?
A. The game follows the exploits of Stubbs, a Zombie, as he embarks on a quest for true love and brutal revenge in Punchbowl, Pennsylvania, a city of the future built in the 1950s.

Q. How did you come up with this idea?
A. It was a collaborative effort by our small internal prototyping team. We started with a bunch of ideas and spent some time developing the most promising ones. Ultimately the team picked Stubbs the Zombie as the game that would become Wideload's first project.

Daniel "Finn" Barbour of Halo Story Fame's review of Halo, entitled How I learned to stop worrying and criticize Halo 2, is getting passed around again in wider circles courtesy of a link from Joystiq; it's a good look from a critical fan, not an Xbox fanboi or a Halo Hater. If you missed this back in December, check it out now.

A few Xbox-related tidbits:

• Via Xbox365 comes word that Engadget says the next Xbox will be called Xbox360. Xbox365 editor makes the obvious joke.
• Sony has apparently hired ex-Xbox exec Ed Fries for Sony's Online Entertainment division. (This has been reported on several sites, most of which ignore the facts that Fries really wasn't directly responsible for XBL, and that the Online Entertainment group makes PC products, and that the PS2 and PS3 are in a different division; but hey, don't let that stop anybody from making the conclusion that Sony hired Fries to spill the "secrets" of Xbox Live to Sony. --Ed.)

Of course, not all the news was about Halo or Bungie:

• WideloadGames.org pointed out an interview with Alex Seropian at 1UP about Wideload Games and Stubbs the Zombie, and an interview with Aspyr's Glenda Adams at Macworld (Aspyr is publishing Stubbs on the Mac).
• mrsmiley of Halo Babies fame points out his interview with Wideload's Matt Soell, former Bungie Community Guy and writer on Stubbs the Zombie.

Greetings from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, a place that has very nearly nothing to do with the following things which happened in the Bungieverse and the Xbox markets while I've been out here futzing around:

• Rumors of downloadable Halo 2 maps were fueled by a couple of likely photoshop tricks; thanks Dolbex for a demonstration of how something similar could be done.
• Halo 2 picked up some hardware from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, including Console Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play, and First Person Action Game of the Year.
• Team Dscvry Ch. contributes to the idea that those who make games aren't always the best players by defeating Bungie in the latest humpday challenge. (Again, real problem: no Ferrex)
• Bungie no comments on the movie rumors and says it has "no plans" for Halo 2 on the PC in Frankie's Weekly Update.

Another news roundup before I head out to the airport. I'll be away from the Rampancy Cave until Super Bowl Sunday (or, as it happens to be in this time zone, Super Bowl Monday Morning) but hopefully I will manage to pop in now and again. Here are some of the items of note from earlier this week:

• Stuntmutt is trying to come up with a Euro-themed clan logo.
• Are video games actually reducing crime? Do they promote violence at all? Interesting questions; thanks Louis Wu for the heads-up.
• Bungie can't add Zombies as an official game type because it can't force players to change teams after dying. That an other tidbits in the latest weekly update by Frankie.
• ComputerandVideoGames thinks they know about Activision's first four Xbox 2 launch titles; Activision isn't talking.
• Computer Graphics World talks about the technical side of Halo 2's artistry.

A flurry of news in the console business today; Sony says they'll make a PS3 announcement in March, and that the console will be "playable" at E3 this year. Microsoft followed suit with their-long expected official announcement of the Xbox 2 during a conference call, although it is not known if the unit will be playable at E3, although apparently it will be shown.

Meanwhile, Xbox Live hits 1.4 M members and Microsoft actually makes money.

Again more news that deserves the personalized touch, but instead is going to get buried in the mass grave that is a news roundup. Pass the lye...

• The BBC previews the next round of console wars that will pit the Xbox 2, codenamed "Xenon" against Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Revolution. Microsoft looks to get out of the gate first, with their development kits already out, but this time Sony's machine will likely have the edge specs-wise.
• Lots of goings-on at Bungie.net: three new desktop wallpapers, including one reworked by Shishka based on art by Craig Mullins; a FAQ on cheating by Brian "SketchFactor" Jarrard; and an interview with new multiplayer designer Steve Cotton.
• The other end of the Bungie spectrum, HBO, also has some new goodies: two parts of a Halo 2 Legendary walkthrough (Intro, Cairo) by legendary Halo player Mike Miller; new stuff on the Halo story page, and more clips for the Dialogue Databank.

And no break in the Halo news, either, even when the site is down, as it was most of this past weekend. Sorry about that. Here's some of what went on:

• Updated plugin library at Halomods.com; thanks VerdaFolio.
• More kvetching about the EGM Humpday Challenge where EGM played the determined bull terrier to Bungie's cashmere skirt.
• What To Do If You've Been Banned is our suggested title the latest (abbreviated) Bungie update. (Our summary: suck it up; obviously if you've been banned you're already good at that --Ed.)
• Halo 2 sales eclipse the original and is the 2nd biggest seller of 2004, no mean feat against competition like GTA: San Andreas with a much larger installed base of hardware to sell to.
• The Envelope Please: Halo 2 took Best Xbox Action Adventure Game, Xbox Game of the Year, and Overall Game of the Year in GameSpot's Reader's Choice Awards. Thanks Louis Wu at HBO. Halo 2 is also among the finalists for nominations from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play, and Outstanding Innovation in Console Gaming, First Person Action Game of the Year categories.
• Music from the Movies goes far enough afield to review Halo 2's soundtrack, or at least the first, released volume. They liked it. That means nobody has to die... this week.

Despite a strong turnout, the Bungie team was decidedly massacred by Electronic Gaming Monthly, who spanked them 3-0 on the strength of two no-radar Team Slayer games, and even obliged Bungie in the usual Zanzibar CTF game only to win that 3-0, too. Read all about Bungie's all-you-can-eat crowfest at Bungie.net or sample the sweet side of the street from Dan Hsu's blog.

Our answer? Simple: No Ferrex.

If you want to go relive Bungie's salad days, check out what Geezer Gamers wrote about the schoolin' Bungie gave them last week.

Xbox365 repeats the rumor that the Xbox Next will be out this fall.

Joystiq has a whole slew of rumors regarding Xbox 2 and Halo 2.5/3 today from an unknown individual or individuals claiming to have special knowledge. Toss some salt over your shoulder and get out your asbestos underwear. (A lot of these predictions are waaaaay out there --Ed.)